The present invention relates to playing a game and at least another game, and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for playing one game and using elements from the one game to play at least another game.
Games in general typically provide a limited number of ways and incentives to play and win. There is a need to continually develop games that provide additional plays, win opportunities, and incentives for the players to make the game or games more fun and exciting.
A number of games and gaming apparatuses and methods exist in the prior art. Various games of skill or chance are used in casinos, gambling halls and by state lotteries. One of these games of skill or chance involve lottery tickets in which a person purchases a lottery ticket in hoping that he/she will win an instant amount or a jackpot amount. Another game of skill or chance is the popular BINGO game. BINGO card or cards are purchased by a player. A caller calls BINGO numbers, and the player hopes to cover the card or cards in the desired pattern and further hopes to be one of the first potential winner(s) to call out xe2x80x9cBINGOxe2x80x9d.
Lottery tickets that provide instant jackpot wins and lottery tickets that provide progressive jackpot wins are well known in the art. In fact, lottery tickets that combine the potential for a player to win an instant jackpot(s) and a progressive jackpot(s) have been developed to further provide play, incentive, fun, excitement, etc. to the players. U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,293 to Mullins (xe2x80x9cMullinsxe2x80x9d) discloses an example of such a combination lottery ticket and game. Therefore, there is a continued need and desire to provide a lottery ticket game or such other game that provides further play, incentive, fun, excitement, etc. to the players. Also, there is a need and desire to provide a lottery ticket game or such other game with additional win opportunities based on relatively easy games, especially the opportunities to win jackpots. Play of the game would therefore be further driven by the additional play, win opportunities, incentives, fun, excitement, etc. Without additional win opportunities and incentives, players may become bored and lose interest with the lottery ticket game.
Typically, BINGO cards are simply purchased by players, and the players respectively play the cards. The BINGO game is a relatively easy game that is well known and is able to be played by a number of people. The cards, in themselves, have no potential inherent or win value until the cards are played for the respective BINGO game. The BINGO game is won after a number of BINGO numbers are called. Players have to patiently wait after various BINGO numbers are called until a possible win situation occurs for his/her cards. Those cards that do not reflect a win situation after a calling round of BINGO are useless and valueless to the player and are typically not kept by the player and discarded. The BINGO game does not provide further incentives or win possibilities, such as instant jackpot wins in lottery ticket games, simply based on the purchase of the cards themselves. Therefore, there is a need and desire to integrate the simple general concepts of the BINGO game into other games. There is also a need and desire to generally take the BINGO card concept in providing further win opportunities for players. Without additional win opportunities and incentives, players may become bored and lose interest with the BINGO game. Also, since calling numbers for a BINGO game may be very laborious and time consuming, there is a need and desire to reduce or eliminate the actual calling of BINGO numbers.
The need of providing additional win opportunities and incentives for play of a game continually exists. The need exists for continually providing additional win opportunities and incentives for a lottery ticket game and/or a BINGO game. Therefore, the present invention discloses and provides a method and apparatus for playing one game and using elements from the one game to play at least another game, and the present invention overcomes the problems, disadvantages, and limitations of the prior art.
Set forth is a brief summary of the invention in order to solve the foregoing problems and achieve the foregoing and other objects, benefits, and advantages in accordance with the purposes of the present invention as embodied and broadly described herein.
It is an object of the invention to provide the ability to play one game and use elements from the one game to play at least another game.
It is another object of the invention to provide the ability to play one game of chance or skill and use elements from the one game of chance or skill to play at least another game.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a number of or additional ways and incentives to play and win a game.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide games that have additional plays, win opportunities, and incentives for the players.
It is still another object of the invention to provide games that provide more fun and excitement to players.
It is another object of the invention to enhance the general concepts, rules, and limitations of a lottery ticket game and expand the play and win opportunities of the lottery ticket game.
It is a further object of the invention to incorporate the general concepts, rules, and limitations of a BINGO game into another game, particularly a lottery ticket game and lottery electronic ticketless game.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by a method for playing one game and using elements from the one game to play at least another game. Rules and the elements for the one game are defined. The elements for the one game are provided and used, and the one game is played. Rules for at least another game are defined, and at least some of the elements from the one game to play the at least another game are provided and used. The other game(s) is played. The one game and at least another game may be games of chance or skill. The one game may be a lottery ticket game or lottery electronic ticketless game and the at least another game may be a symbol collection game.
The lottery ticket game involves defining symbols for the lottery ticket game, printing the symbols on lottery tickets for the lottery ticket game, and using the symbols to define winning indices for the lottery tickets. The symbol collection game involves using and collecting at least some of the symbols from the lottery ticket game to play the symbol collection game. In particular, BINGO letters and wild symbols may be collected by playing a play of the lottery ticket game. The symbol collection game may further involve collecting and spelling letters or words such as the word TRILOGY. One of the letters of TRILOGY may be collected by collecting all of the BINGO letters from plays of the lottery ticket game. One of the letters of TRILOGY may also be collected by obtaining one of the wild symbols from plays of the lottery ticket game. A jackpot for the symbol collection game is won by collecting all of the letters of TRILOGY. A player may have to call out a win notification when a player has collected all of the letters of TRILOGY in order to win. The game may be set up such that the jackpot is won by only one winning player or split among other winning players. The jackpot may be a fixed prize or a progressive jackpot and may be determined based on sales of the lottery tickets from the lottery ticket game. The game may also be set up where players wager for a table jackpot among other players as to certain elements being collected from the lottery ticket game (i.e. one or more or all of the BINGO letters being collected) after a play of the lottery ticket game or other indices printed on the ticket. The game may also be set up to be played electronically in entirety.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are also achieved by a method for playing one game and using elements from the one game to play at least another game. Symbols are used as the elements to define wins for the one game. The symbols are provided and used to play the one game, and the one game is played. At least some of the symbols are used from the one game to play the at least another game, and the at least another game is played. The one game is a lottery ticket game or lottery electronic ticketless game, and the at least another game is a symbol collection game. The lottery ticket game involves printing the symbols on lottery tickets for the lottery ticket game and using the symbols to define wins for the lottery tickets. The lottery electronic ticketless game involves defining symbols shown on an electronic ticket or displayed on a monitor and using the symbols to define wins for the lottery electronic ticketless game. The symbol collection game involves using and collecting at least some of the symbols from the lottery ticket game or lottery electronic ticketless game to play the symbol collection game.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are further achieved by a lottery ticket game and letters collection game. These games have lottery tickets having defined play symbols, various winning combinations, and at least one letters collection combination. The defined play symbols include at least symbols to be collected for the letters collection game. The various winning combinations of the play symbols are printed for the lottery ticket game or displayed for the lottery electronic ticketless game. The at least one letters collection combination are obtained from the symbols and is defined as at least one winning situation for the letters collection game. The various winning combinations may be at least a combination of BINGO or other BINGO related game letters. The at least one winning situation may be the collection of all letters for TRILOGY. One of the letters for TRILOGY may be obtained and collected when all letters for BINGO have been collected from at least one of the lottery tickets or lottery displays. Also, one of the letters for TRILOGY may be obtained and collected when a wild symbol has been collected from at least one of the lottery tickets.
These games may include the use of a table. The table has a plurality of table player stations. The table player stations each have indicator lights to light up respective symbol images as the symbols are collected from the lottery tickets. The table player stations are linked to a table computer. A number of table computers may be linked together to a house computer in a house if play is to be set up at a house game prize level. A number of house computers may be linked together to a network if the play is to be set up as a network game prize level. A number of house computers may be linked together to a network computer in a network. The computers control and manage play of the game.
The above objects and advantages of the invention are also achieved by a method of playing a lottery ticket game and letters collection game. Players purchase and play tickets for the lottery ticket game. It is determined whether the players have won the lottery ticket game, and the player(s) win respective amounts for the lottery ticket game. The players that desire to play the letters collection game are determined. Play for the players that desire to discontinue play of the games is discontinued, and play for the players that desire to continue play of the lottery ticket game is continued. It is determined whether the players that desire to play the letters collection game have elements on the tickets that are usable for the letters collection game. Play of the letters collection game for the players that have the elements on the tickets is continued. It is determined whether the players that do not have the elements on the tickets desire to continue play of the games, and the players continue respective play of the games for the players that desire to continue. It is determined whether at least one of the players has collected a sufficient number of the elements to have all necessary letters to win the letters collection game, and play of the games ends by having the at least one of the players that has collected all necessary letters to call out a win notification.
The preferred embodiments of the inventions are described below in the Figures and Detailed Description. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art or arts. If any other meaning is intended, the specification will specifically state that a special meaning is being applied to a word or phrase. Likewise, the use of the words xe2x80x9cfunctionxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmeansxe2x80x9d in the Detailed Description is not intended to indicate a desire to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6 to define the invention. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6, are sought to be invoked to define the inventions, the claims will specifically state the phrases xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d and a function, without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material, or act in support of the function. Even when the claims recite a xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d performing a function, if they also recite any structure, material or acts in support of that means of step, then the intention is not to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6. Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6, are invoked to define the inventions, it is intended that the inventions not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later-developed equivalent structures, materials or acts for performing the claimed function.